Automatic train pipe connector head



Feb. 25, 1941. J. ROBINSON 2,232,731

AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTOR HEAD Filed Jan. 18, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I055 PH ROBINSON myw' ATTORNEY Feb. 25, 1941. Y J. ROBINSON AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTOR HEAD Filed Jan. 18, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M ,7 6 T I i IIIIIIIIIIIIIIA INVENTOR JOJEP/v FOB/M50 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to automatic train pipe connectors, and particularly to-the coupling head of such devices. Among the objects is to arrange the gathering means of the head with respect to the point of connection between the head and its yieldable support so that a foundation or plate may be formed or placed on the upper portion of the head to receive a plurality of terminals for electrical conduits. In carrying out this object I move the gathering means downwardly until its horizontal center occupies the horizontal plane in which the center of the port that carries the heaviest separating pressures is located. The arrangement is such that room is permitted below said plate, and above the horizontal center of said gathering means, for the actuating parts of an automatic lock adapted to positively secure mating heads together.

These and other advantages of my improvement will appear from the following description and in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate similar parts, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved connector head;

Figure 2 is a side view thereof from the ball member side;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on approximately the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional detail showing the ball member l4 resting in its seat in the funnel member I6;

Figure 5 is a plan view of my improvement;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section on approximately the line 6-6 of Figure 1;

Figure '7 is a front elevation of a modification of my improvement, and

Figure 8 is a sectional detail on approximately the line 8-8 of Figure '7.

My improved connector head includes one or more vertically spaced ports II), II and I2, the central port II being adapted to receive the forward end of the flexible supporting means of my improvement. In my co-pending application Serial No.-245,841, filed December 15, 1938, a desirable form of such support is disclosed.

The gathering means of my improvement includes a forwardly extending stubby horn or ball member [4 having a curved face I5, and a rearwardly inclined shallow funnel member [6 each spaced on opposite sides of the vertical center of the head. The funnel is provided with a plurality of lugs or bearings l1 which extend inwardly with respect to the opening in the apex of the funnel and receive the curved face of the ball member M. The apex of the funnel is provided with an annular bearing 18 which fits with and interlocks with a complementary annular bearing l9 at the-base of the curved face I5 of the ball member to prevent lateral shifting of mated heads on the lugs l1. It will be observed that the top 20 of the funnel [6 lies approximately in the horizontal plane occupied by the center of the port or opening I I of the head, and that the center of the port l2 and the ball member 14 and the apex of the funnel [6- are in approximately the same horizontal plane considerably below the center of the port or opening Il-. Dropping the funnel and ball member in this manner provides space at the topof the head for the foundation or base plate 2| in which may be mounted a plurality of electric conduit terminals of any suitable design, and brings the horizontal center of the gathering means into the plane occupied by the horizontal center of the port l2 which carries the heaviest pressures. In cooperation with the interlock of the annular bearings I8l 9 described, this arrangement greatly advantages the supporting means of the head by giving it, and the lock hereinafter referred to and contemplated for use with my improvement, vastly increased eifect over the heavy separating pressures carried in the port l2. These terminals may be threaded into the openings 22 or otherwise secured therein, or they may be mounted on a plate 23 and removably secured in a frame 24 formed above the top of the funnel as shown in Figures '7 and 8. To supplement the aligning effect of the ball member and funnel, and to insure more accurate engagement of the electric terminals of opposing heads, I provide my improvement with a supplementary forwardly extending guide 25 adapted to mate with a companion hearing or guide 26 on the opposite side of the vertical center line of the head. Preferably these supplemental guides are located in the upper corners of the head, Figure 1.

When coupling under extreme vertical varia tions the lower edge of the connector heads have a tendency sometimes to foul one on the other. This tendency is effectively overcome by providing my improved head with a vertical guiding or bearing surface 21 located at the bottom of the head and which functions in the manner described in my co-pending application Serial No. 245,057, filed December 12, 1938. Provision is also made for an automatic lock of the type shown in my co-pending application Serial. No. 245,841, filed December 15, 1938. This lock is located in bearings 28-49 and moves through the opening 30, Figures 1 and 6, of the ball member into the slot 3| of the funnel and into engage-.

frame to free the bolts 33 of undue strains when mating heads are coupled.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic train pipe connectorhead, comprising in combination, a coupling 'face'disposed at a right angle to the longitudinal direction of the connector and adapted to make a butt-joint with the face of a mating head, a pluralityof vertically aligned fluid conducting ports formed in said coupling face, a rearwardly extending longitudinally shallow funnel member on one side of the vertical center of said face and.

provided in its apex with a relatively wide opening into which extend a plurality of bearing lugs, and a short stubby forwardly extending hollow ball member on the other side of the vertical center of said face and adapted to cooperate with the funnel of an opposing head to align the heads and adapted to seat on said lugs when mating heads couple, the ball of said member and the apex of said funnel being entirely below the horizontal center of the head and in the plane occupied by the horizontal center of the port in said head in which the heaviest pressures are carried whereby the effective holding force of the connector support with respect to mated heads is materially increased, the shallow longitudinal depth of said ball and funnel members being such as to permit car couplers provided with connectors equipped with said head to approach to the maximum extent towards final coupling movement before the ball and funnel commence functioning as aligning means thereby causing a substantial part of the aligning operation to be performed by said car couplers.

2. An automatic train pipe connector head such as described in claim 1 in which a base plate for receiving electric terminals is provided, which plate extends from the top of said funnel upwardly to the top of said head, distinguished further by the provision between the bottom of said plate and the top of said ball member of bearings and openings for receiving the actuating means of an automatic lock, and by the provision of supplemental aligning means for accurately aligning said ports and said electric terminals when the heads couple, said aligning means including cooperative bearings in the apex of said funnel and on said ball member that are adapted to interlock and accurately align the heads when mating heads couple.

3. An automatic train pipe connector head such as described in claim 1 in which means are provided on the lower side of the head for preventing jamming or fouling of mating heads when coupling under extreme vertical variation, distinguished further by the provision of annular bearings on the ball and funnel member which seat one on the other when mating heads couple to prevent relative shifting of the coupled heads.

JOSEPH ROBINSON. 

